Friday Five: Odd Superstitions

Greetings, Kids. It is Friday the 13th, which strikes fear in the hearts of many superstitious folks. And so, while you are busy driving around black cats, throwing spilled salt over your shoulder, or feverishly gluing shattered mirrors together, here are some lesser-known, and outright strange superstitions that claim to bring a bit more than bad luck.

1. Be sure to crush your eggshells: What's a good superstition without a witch? It was once believed that if you didn't crush the eggshells after eating eggs, a witch would gather the shell and make a boat out of it, which she could then sail out to sea to raise up storms. If you are going to do this in hopes that you will stave off rough weather, take the shells and add them to your coffee grounds before brewing to cut down on the bitterness... If you're going to participate in a wacky superstition, might as well get something practical out if it!

2. Don't put your purse on the floor: According to this superstition, if you put your purse (and therefore your money) on the floor, it means you will lose it. Or, someone will steal it... Orrrr, you'll knock food or a drink off the table into the purse. Which is a huge pain in the ass.

3. Corner of the table = 7 years single: There are many superstitions surrounding marriage, particularly those pertaining to women. This particular one says that a woman who wishes to marry should not sit at  or face the corner of a table, for this will doom her to 7 years of singledom. Had I known that, I'd have made that my permanent seat at EVERYTHING... But, I digress. Personally, I think these superstitions were put in place to avoid telling certain woman they were just undesirable. The same way we say rain on your wedding day is good luck. It keeps the bride from going banana sandwich when the dark clouds roll in.

4. Catch a falling leaf: Forget Vitamin C, plenty of water, good sleep, and washing your hands. If you want to avoid catching a cold, all you have to do is catch a single falling leaf. But what would happen if you went out with a wet head to go catch your leaf? This is a mystery for the ages...

5. Paging Dr. Doggie: There are possibly hundreds of superstitions pertaining to cats, probably due to their close link with witches. However, dogs have their own weird superstitions, too. Apparently, if you are sick, if you take a piece of bread and lick it or put it to your lips and then offer it to the dog, the dog's willingness to eat it (or not) will tell you how serious your condition is. Hmmm. I'm pretty sure I could have the Black Plague and my dog would not only gobble up the bread, but lick my fingers in hopes of getting more. A second opinion would likely be in order.

What strange or odd superstitions do you know and/or believe in?